U.S. patent application number 16/397404 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-29 for system and method for qualitative and quantitative detection of substance on surfaces.
The applicant listed for this patent is Kirollos Salama Kirollos. Invention is credited to Kirollos Salama Kirollos.
Application Number | 20200340963 16/397404 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004139762 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-29 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200340963 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kirollos; Kirollos Salama |
October 29, 2020 |
System and Method for Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of
Substance on Surfaces
Abstract
A surface wipe for the detection of harmful substances on
surfaces by producing uniform color change and a color comparator
to determine the concentration of harmful substance collected on
the wipe by comparing the intensity and hue of the uniform color on
the wipe to a calibrated color scale related to specific
concentration of the target harmful substance. In operation, the
wipe is held from the handle to swipe a suspect surface. The
pressure applied by fingers at certain areas on the rigid or
flexible top support member of the wipe during the swiping process
is transferred to the flexible wipe body. The flexible body of the
wipe uniformly distribute the pressure applied by fingers
throughout its mass and/or take the shape of irregular and uneven
surface allowing the collection and color forming assembly to
produce uniform color change that can be quantified by the color
comparator.
Inventors: |
Kirollos; Kirollos Salama;
(Virginia Beach, VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kirollos; Kirollos Salama |
Virginia Beach |
VA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004139762 |
Appl. No.: |
16/397404 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01N 31/229 20130101;
G01N 2001/028 20130101; G01N 21/78 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01N 31/22 20060101
G01N031/22; G01N 21/78 20060101 G01N021/78 |
Claims
1. A surface wipe (100) held by fingers to swipe target surfaces
for the detection of substances on surfaces by forming visual and
uniform color change, said surface wipe comprising: a handle (130)
which functions to hold said surface wipe with fingers during
swiping the surface a surface wipe body (110) which functions as
cushion to spread the pressure applied by fingers throughout its
mass during swiping the surface a top support (120) which functions
to localize said handle (130) to said surface wipe body (110) a
wiping and color forming assembly (140) which functions to collect
and react with a target substance to form color change a bottom
support (150) which functions to localize said surface wipe body
(110) to said wiping and color forming assembly (140) a glass
crushable ampoule (160) filled with reagent
2. The surface wipe (100) of claim 1 wherein said handle (130) is
constructed from plastic and attached or glued on top of said top
support (120)
3. The surface wipe (100) of claim 1 wherein said top support (120)
is constructed from flexible or rigid material and attached or
glued from the top of said handle (130) and attached or glued from
the bottom to said surface wipe body (110)
4. The surface wipe (100) of claim 1 wherein said surface wipe body
(110) is constructed from flexible closed-pores or open-pores
material
5. The surface wipe of claim 1 wherein said bottom support (150) is
constructed from flexible or rigid material and attached or glued
from the top to said surface wipe body (110) and attached or glued
from the bottom to said color forming assembly (140)
6. The surface wipe (100) of claim 1 wherein said wiping and color
forming assembly (140) consists of a color forming member (141)
coated on top of collection member (142)
7. The surface wipe (100) of claim 6 wherein in said collection
member (142) is constructed from inert, open-pores and flexible
material
8. The surface wipe (100) of claim 1 wherein said glass crushable
ampoule (160) is localized inside said surface wipe body (110)
9. A color comparator (200) includes a plurality of predetermined
color scale representing a range of masses or concentrations values
of a specific substance, said masses or concentrations values are
expressed in numbers, and an arbitrary gray scale to enhance the
color matching process, said color comparator comprising: a top
comparator body (210) having one color scale window (215), at least
one numbers window and at least one rivet opening a bottom
comparator body (250) having at least one rivet opening at least
one-color scale wheel having a predetermined color scale
representing a range of masses or concentrations values of a
specific substance expressed in numbers, said color wheel has one
rivet opening at least one gray scale wheel having arbitrary values
expressed in alphabets to enhance the color matching process, said
gray scale wheel has one rivet opening at least one comparator
inserts which function to separate said top comparator body (210)
from said bottom comparator body (250) to allow free movement of
said color wheel and said gray scale wheel at least one separator
with smooth surface localized between two said color wheels or said
one color wheel and said gray scale wheel at least one magnifying
lens at least one rivet which functions to localize the different
components of said color comparator and allow free rotation of said
color scale wheel and said gray scale wheel a disposable protective
sleeve which function to protect said color comparator from
contamination during use
10. The color comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said gray scale
wheel is localized under and coaxial with said top comparator body
(210), and on top and coaxial with said color scale wheel
11. The color comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said color scale
wheel is localized under and coaxial with said gray scale wheel,
and on top and coaxial with said bottom comparator body (250)
12. The color comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said insert is
attached from the top to said top comparator body (210) and
attached from the bottom to said bottom comparator body (250)
13. The comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said rivet is coaxial
with said top comparator body rivet opening, said bottom comparator
rivet opening, said gray scale wheel rivet opening and said color
scale wheel rivet opening
14. The comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said color scale wheel
is constructed from transparent or opaque, rigid or flexible
plastic
15. The comparator (200) of claim 9 wherein said gray scale wheel
is constructed from transparent, rigid or flexible plastic
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present invention relates to U.S. Provisional Patent
Ser. No. 62/666,135 filed on May 3, 2018 and claims priority
therefrom.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] The patent application did not receive federal research and
development funds.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates generally to a direct-read
device, method and apparatus for protecting against exposure to
harmful environments. In this regard, the present invention relates
generally to the indication of substance by changing color. The
surface wipe and color comparator (SW & CC) of the present
invention function by swiping surfaces for target substance, if the
wiped surface is contaminated with target substance, a uniform
color change appears on the wipe. The intensity of the produced
uniform color change is directly proportional to the amount of
target substance collected on the wipe. To determine the amount of
the collected substance, the uniform color on the wipe is compared
to a pre-calibrated color scale on the color comparator. When
specific area of surface, i.e. square foot (ft.sup.2) or 10
centimeters' square (10 cm.sup.2) is wiped, the concentration of
substance can be determined; for example, in micrograms/ft.sup.2 or
micrograms/10 cm.sup.2. The color comparator of the present
invention includes an arbitrary gray scale to compensate for any
dark substance or dirt collect on the wipe.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The need for simple, low cost and real-time qualitative and
quantitative detection of trace amounts of toxic substances on
surfaces is of great importance to health in the workplace and the
environment. Although the current Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) standards has no surface contamination
criteria or quantifications for surface contamination, the
standards generally contain housekeeping provisions that address
the issue of surface contamination. Exposures to various chemicals
are addressed in specific standards for general industry,
construction and shipyard employment. OSHA housekeeping provisions
are generally the most stringent for the metals, which in solid
form may contaminate surfaces and become available for ingestion or
inhalation if housekeeping practices are poor. OSHA standards for
heavy metals contain provisions stating that "surfaces be
maintained as free as practicable of accumulations of the toxic
metal" [Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for Occupational Safety
and Health Standards 29 CFR 1910]. Useful guidelines are also
provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where DOE and its
contractors are required to conduct routine surface sampling to
determine housekeeping conditions wherever highly toxic and
carcinogenic substances such as beryllium and hexavalent chromium
[Cr (VI)] are present in operational areas. These criteria, for
example, state that for beryllium, the removable contamination
level of equipment or item surfaces does not exceed the higher of
0.2 .mu.g/100 cm.sup.2 and for Cr (VI), an acceptable surface
contamination level of 7.5 .mu.g/100 cm.sup.2.
[0005] There are numerous devices and methods for collecting and
stabilizing the collected samples from surfaces for further
laboratory analysis. Avery et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,129 (Jun.
17, 1969) teaches a self-swabbing unit for collection of cultures
from body canals and a crushable glass ampoule filled with liquid
to stabilize the collected cultures for further laboratory
analysis. Several variations of Avery device are described in the
literature, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,699, 3,890,204,
3,890,954, 3,913,564, 4,184,483, 4,311,792, 4,604,360 and
4,770,853. Addleman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,943,910 (Feb. 3, 2015)
teaches an enhanced swipe sampler with functionalized fibers for
collecting explosives and other substances from surfaces.
[0006] There are also several devices and methods for direct-read,
real-time qualitative (yes/no) detection of toxic substances on
surface. Stone, U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,618 (Aug. 13, 1991), U.S. Pat.
No. 5,278,075 (Jan. 11, 1994) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,917 (Jul. 19,
1994) teaches swabs having a hollow stem and within the hollow stem
is one or two cartridges. Crushing the cartridges before swiping
surface, a color form if target substance found on surface. Another
teaching of Stone, U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,792 (Nov. 15, 1994) where a
swab having a hollow stem and within the hollow stem is a cartridge
within another cartridge, an activator solution is in one of the
cartridges and a reagent is in another of the cartridges. Crushing
the cartridges before swiping surface, a color form if target
substance found on surface. In all Stone devices, an absorbent ball
at the end of the hollow stem is soaked with reagents prior swiping
the target surface. A color formed on the soaked ball to indicate
qualitative indication of target contaminants. Kirollos et al. US
Patent Application No. 20060062689 (Mar. 23, 2006), describes a
surface wipe for real-time qualitative detection of toxic
substances where a collection media filters dirt to prevent or
reduce inaccurate readings and the color change may be viewed
through a clear backing. In an effort to quantify the collected
substance, a grid work is printed on the clear backing of the wipe,
the more cells of the grid that changed in color indicate a more
heavily contaminated surface area. Although this device provides
general idea about the quantity of collected substance, the
irregularity of the color formed in this device make it impossible
to accurately determine the quantity of the collected substance.
The irregularity of the produced color is due to different pressure
applied to the surface. The most intense color produced on the wipe
is under the fingers of the person swiping the surface, where most
of the pressure applied. The use of the applicator with the wipe
can only produce relatively uniform color if the swiped surface is
flat and smooth. Pagoria, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,829,020 (Nov. 9,
2010) teaches a colorimetric device for the detection of peroxides
where a swipe material attached to a polyethylene tube contains two
crushable vials with reagents. After swiping a suspected surface,
the vials are broken. Peroxides are confirmed by a deep blue color.
Genovese, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 9,023,291 (May 5, 2015) teaches
colorimetric detection kit comprising a unit containing chemical
reagents and a sample collector for collecting a sample analyte
from a surface and a separate unit for visualizing a possible
reaction of the chemical reagent and sample. Johnson U.S. Pat. No.
9,250,189 (Feb. 2, 2016) teaches a detection kit used for detecting
compounds and includes a magnifying lens in a cap that magnifies a
surface of a color-changing detection swab when placed on the body
of the detection kit.
[0007] All the above-mentioned devices and method are intended for;
either the collection of substances from surfaces for further
laboratory analysis to determine the nature (qualitative) and
concentration (quantitative) of target substances on surfaces, or
direct-read, colorimetric surface wipes for qualitative (yes/no)
detection of substance on surfaces. To our knowledge, there is no
direct-read real-time device for qualitative and quantitative
determination of substances on surfaces.
[0008] There are several color comparators in the literature for
testing liquids by comparing the color of the liquid with graduated
color standards. Frank, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,831 (Jun. 22, 1976),
teaches a visual color comparator for testing the condition of a
liquid and utilizing dual liquid dip cells which are integrally
connected. Aronowitz, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,580 (Oct. 31,
1989) teaches an assay kit comprising an analyte test strip and a
color comparator including a plurality of different color fields
arranged in an ordered, preferably linear, succession. There is an
aperture through each color field so positioned that the reaction
zone of the test strip can be placed behind each color field and
the color of the reaction zone thereafter viewed through each
aperture. Kuzuhara, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,713 (Oct. 26, 1999)
teaches a method for determining total chlorine amount present in a
sample and a kit for practicing the method includes the indicator
and a color scale for the hues of the dye. There are other color
comparators sited in the literature including the following US
patents are depicted herein for reference; Peet, U.S. Pat. No.
1,976,672 (October 1934), Frank, U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,577 (April
1965), Rosse et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,439 (February 1973) and
Acker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,745 (September 1974).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is a general objective of the present invention to
provide a reliable and cost-effective device and method for the
detection of substances on surfaces.
[0010] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a
direct-read device and a method capable of real-time qualitative
and quantitative detection of substances on surfaces.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
device capable of the indication of substances by changing
color.
[0012] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide
a simple means of detecting trace amounts of toxic substances
existing on irregular and/or rough surfaces and producing uniform
color for quantification.
[0013] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
simple means of detecting trace amounts of toxic substances
existing on surfaces covered with dirt, soil and/or dark
substances.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the
surface wipe (100) and the color comparator (200) of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 2A is a schematic drawing of the surface wipe (100) of
the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2B is a cross section of one embodiment of the surface
wipe (100).
[0017] FIG. 3A is a cross section of another embodiment of the
surface wipe (100) where a crushable ampoule is located inside the
wipe's body.
[0018] FIG. 3B depicts a cross section view perpendicular to the
cross section shown in
[0019] FIG. 3A.
[0020] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the surface
wipe (100) of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the surface wipe (100) in
use for wiping smooth surface.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of the surface wipe (100) in
use for wiping irregular and rough surface.
[0023] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the color
comparator (200) of the present invention where the top wheel is
first gray scale wheel (220) and the bottom wheel is first color
wheel (240).
[0024] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the
color comparator (200) of the present invention where the top wheel
is second color wheel (242) and the bottom wheel is first color
wheel (240).
[0025] FIG. 9 is a top view of one embodiment of the color
comparator (200) showing more detail of the first numbers window
(213) and showing the alphabets (227) on the first gray scale wheel
(220) and the numerals (247) on the first color wheel (240).
[0026] FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing of the surface wipe (100) and
one embodiment of the color comparator (200) in use to determine
the amount of substance collected on the surface wipe.
[0027] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of yet another embodiment of the
color comparator (200).
[0028] FIG. 12 is a top view showing the overlap of the first color
wheel (240) and the third color wheel (245) of one embodiment of
the color comparator (200).
[0029] FIG. 13A is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the
first color wheel (240).
[0030] FIG. 13B is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the
arbitrary first gray scale wheel (220).
LIST OF NUMERALS
[0031] 100 is surface wipe assembly [0032] 110 is wipe body [0033]
111 is wipe body cavity [0034] 120 is top support [0035] 130 is
handle [0036] 140 is the wiping and color forming assembly [0037]
141 is color forming member [0038] 142 is wiping member [0039] 150
is bottom support [0040] 151 is bottom support opening [0041] 160
is crushable ampule [0042] 200 is color comparator assembly [0043]
210 is top comparator body [0044] 211 is rivet first top opening
[0045] 212 is rivet second top opening [0046] 213 is first numbers
window [0047] 214 is second numbers window [0048] 215 is color
scale window [0049] 216 is first magnifying lens [0050] 217 is
second magnifying lens [0051] 220 is first gray scale wheel [0052]
221 is first gray scale wheel rivet opening [0053] 225 is second
gray scale wheel [0054] 226 is second gray scale wheel rivet
opening [0055] 227 are alphabets on the first gray scale wheel
(220) [0056] 230 is comparator insert [0057] 231 is right
comparator insert member [0058] 232 is left comparator insert
member [0059] 240 is first color wheel [0060] 241 is first color
wheel rivet opening [0061] 242 is second color wheel [0062] 243 is
second color wheel rivet opening [0063] 245 is third color wheel
[0064] 246 is third color wheel rivet opening [0065] 247 are the
numerals on the first color wheel (240) [0066] 250 is bottom color
comparator body [0067] 251 is rivet first bottom opening [0068] 252
is rivet second bottom opening [0069] 260 is first separator [0070]
261 is second separator [0071] 270 is first rivet [0072] 271 is
second rivet [0073] 280 is protective sleeve [0074] 300 is
irregular surface
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0075] The present invention is a surface wipe, generally indicated
as (100) in figures, for the detection of harmful substances on
surfaces by producing uniform color change, and a color comparator
to determine the concentration of harmful substance collected on
the surface wipe (100) by comparing the intensity and hue of the
uniform color on the surface wipe to a calibrated color scale
related to specific quantities and/or concentrations of the target
harmful substance, the color comparator is generally indicated as
(200) in figures, as will be described more fully herein below.
[0076] In operation, the surface wipe (100) is held from the handle
(130), preferably, using the thumb and index fingers to swipe a
suspect surface contaminated by harmful substance. The pressure
applied by thumb and index fingers at certain areas on the rigid or
flexible top support member (120) during the swiping process is
transferred to the flexible body (110). The flexible body of the
surface wipe (110) uniformly distribute the pressure applied by
fingers throughout its mass and/or take the shape of irregular and
uneven surface allowing the collection and color forming assembly
(140) to produce uniform color change that can easily and
accurately be quantified by the color comparator (200).
[0077] The handle (130) is constructed from clear or opaque
flexible polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or any plastic
satisfies its intended function of holding the surface wipe (100),
preferably, using the thumb and index fingers. The handle (130) is
attached or glued to the top support (120).
[0078] The top support (120) is constructed from clear or opaque
rigid or flexible polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or any
plastic satisfies its intended function of holding the handle (130)
to the surface wipe body (110). The top support (120) is attached
to the surface wipe body (110) with adhesive or double-sided
adhesive tape. The adhesive and the adhesive tape are preferably
constructed from silicon, but it can be acrylic or any kind of
adhesive that doesn't off-gas any substance that may damage the
active ingredient(s) of the collection and color forming assembly
(140).
[0079] The surface wipe body (110) is constructed from closed or
open pores, flexible foam or rubber and functions as a cushion to
spread the pressure applied by fingers during the swiping process
through its mass. In one embodiment, where the top support (120) is
rigid plastic, the pressure applied by fingers during the swiping
process is spread uniformly through the surface wipe body (110). In
another embodiment, where the top support (120) is flexible
plastic, the pressure applied by fingers at certain areas, during
the swiping process, causes the top support (120) and the surface
wipe body (110) to bend and take the shape of fingers tips, while
the surface wipe body (110) functions as a cushion spreading the
pressure applied by the fingers throughout its mass. The
flexibility of the surface wipe body (110) also functions to take
the shape of irregular and rough surfaces allowing the collection
and color forming assembly (140) to uniformly swipe the target
irregular and rough surfaces. In yet another embodiment, the
surface wipe body (110) has a cavity (111) for placing a crushable
ampoule (160). The crushable ampoule (160) may contains liquid,
such as water or alcohol. In this embodiment, the ampoule is
crushed before swiping the surface to wet the collection and color
forming assembly (140) to maximize the collection of target
substance from the surface. In another embodiment, the crushable
ampoule (160) contains a reagent or reagents needed to react with
the color forming member (141) before swiping the target surface to
allow color formation in case target substance found on surface. In
yet another embodiment, the crushable ampoule (160) contains a
reagent or reagents needed to react with the color forming member
(141) and the target substance after the swing process when the
target substance already collected on the collection member
(142).
[0080] The bottom support (150) is constructed from clear or opaque
flexible polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or any plastic
satisfies its intended function of attaching the collection and
color forming assembly (140) to the surface wipe body (110). In one
embodiment, the bottom support (150) have adhesive or double-sided
adhesive tape from both sides to attach the surface wipe body (110)
to the collection and color forming assembly (140). The adhesive
and double-sided adhesive tape are preferably constructed from
silicon, but it can be acrylic or any kind of adhesive that does
not off-gas any substance that may damage the active ingredient(s)
of the collection and color forming assembly (140). In another
embodiment, the bottom support (150) has an opening or perforation
(151) to allow the reagent(s) from the crushed ampoule (160) to
pass to the collection and color forming assembly (140).
[0081] In one embodiment, the collection and color forming assembly
(140) is constructed from inert felt, fiber glass or open pores,
flexible plastic such as polypropylene and or polyethylene
impregnated with reagent or reagents capable of forming color when
reacting with target substance. In other embodiment, the
impregnated reagents in the collection and color forming assembly
(140) are activated by an activating reagent from the crushable
ampoule (160) before swiping the target surface. In yet another
embodiment, after swiping the target surface, the crushable ampoule
(160) is crushed and the released reagent(s) react with the
impregnated reagent or reagents in the collection and color forming
assembly (140) and the collected target substance to form uniform
color change.
[0082] In other embodiment of the collection and color forming
assembly (140), the collection member (142) is constructed from
inert felt, fiber glass or open pores, flexible plastic such as
polypropylene and or polyethylene. The color forming member (141)
is coated on top of the collection member (142), the side facing
the bottom support member (150). The color forming member (141) is
constructed from colorimetric reagent(s), porous support(s) and
inert binder(s) forming uniform emulsion coated uniformly on top of
the collection member (142), the side facing the bottom support
member (150).
[0083] In one embodiment of the current invention in use, the
swiped surface wipe (100) is placed upside-down next to the color
scale window (215) on the color comparator (200) as shown in FIG.
10. The first color wheel (240) is then turned until a color match
on the wipe (100) and specific color on the first color wheel (240)
appears through the color scale window (215) is achieved. The
number appears on the first number window (213) corresponds to
specific amount or concentration of the target substance collected
on the wipe (100). The amount of target substance can be expressed
in milligrams (mg) or micrograms (.mu.g). When a certain area, i.e.
1 ft.sup.2 or 10 cm.sup.2, of the suspect surface is swiped, the
number appears on the first number window (213) corresponds to
specific concentration of the target substance collected on the
wipe (100) expressed in mg/ft.sup.2 or .mu.g/cm.sup.2.
[0084] In one embodiment, the color comparator (200) of the present
invention is constructed from first color wheel (240) located
under, and coaxial with, first gray scale wheel (220). The coaxial
first color wheel (240) and the first gray scale wheel (220) are
sandwiched between, and coaxial with, top comparator body (210) and
bottom comparator body (250). The top comparator body (210) and
bottom comparator body (250) are separated by the comparator insert
(230) to allow free rotation and turning of the coaxial first color
wheel (240) and the first gray scale wheel (220). The coaxial first
color wheel (240) and the first gray scale wheel (220) are
separated by first separator (260) having smooth surface from both
sides. In use the first separator (260) allows finger, preferably
thumb, to smoothly turn the top first gray scale wheel (220) while
other finger, preferably index finger, to hold the bottom first
color wheel (240) in place. The first separator also allow finger,
preferably thumb, to hold top first gray wheel (220) in place while
other finger, preferably index, to easily turn bottom first color
wheel (240). The axis of the coaxial (210), (220), (240) and (250)
can be a screw and nut or rivet (270).
[0085] FIG. 1 depicts a general view of one embodiment of the
surface wipe (100) and the color comparator (200) of the present
invention. FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of one embodiment of the
surface wipe (100) depicted in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 shows an exploded
view of the embodiment of the color comparator (200) depicted in
FIG. 1 and will be described in detail herein below.
[0086] FIG. 2A is more detailed illustration of one embodiment of
the surface wipe (100) showing the handle (130), the top support
(120), the wipe body (110), the bottom support (150), a color
forming member (141) and a collection member (142).
[0087] FIG. 2B is a cross section of the surface wipe (100)
depicted in FIG. 1A, where the color forming member (141) is coated
on top of the collection member (142).
[0088] FIG. 3A is another cross section of the surface wipe (100)
where the surface wipe body (110) has a cavity (111) to accommodate
a crushable ampoule (160) and the bottom support has an opening or
perforation (151) to allow the reagent(s) from the crushed ampoule
(160) to pass to the collection and color forming assembly
(140).
[0089] FIG. 3B depicts a cross section view perpendicular to the
cross section shown in FIG. 3A.
[0090] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the surface
wipe (100). In this embodiment, the handle (130) is a round plastic
bended in the middle at right angle and glued to the top support
(120). The handle (130) has a diameter 0.75 to 2.0 inch, preferably
1.25 inch and thickness of 2 thousandths of an inch (2 mils) to 50
mils, preferably 7 mils. The top support (120) is a flexible or
rigid plastic having diameter of 0.75 to 2.0 inch, preferably 1.25
inch and a thickness of 25 to 100 mils, preferably 50 mils. The
surface wipe body (110) is flexible plastic or rubber having a
diameter similar to the top support (120) and a thickness of 0.3 to
0.7 inch, preferably 0.35 inch. In this embodiment, the surface
wipe body (110) have a cavity (111) to accommodate the crushable
ampoule (160). The bottom support (150) is a flexible plastic or
rubber having a diameter similar to the top support (120) and
thickness of 25 to 100 mils, preferably 50 mils. In this
embodiment, the bottom support (150) has an opening or perforation
(151) to allow the reagent(s) from the crushed ampoule (160) to
pass to the collection and color forming assembly (140). The
collection and color forming assembly (140) is constructed from
inert felt, fiber glass or open pores, flexible plastic impregnated
with reagent or reagents capable of forming color when reacting
with target substance. The collection and color forming assembly
(140) have a diameter similar to the bottom support (150) and
thickness of 5 to 20 mils, preferably 10 mils. Example of
reagents
[0091] FIG. 5 showing the surface wipe (100) in use swiping a
smooth surface. In a preferred embodiment, the handle (130) is held
using thumb and index fingers.
[0092] FIG. 6 showing the surface wipe (100) in use swiping
irregular and rough surface. In a preferred embodiment, the handle
(130) is held using thumb and index fingers. The pressure applied
by fingers at certain areas, during the swiping process, causes the
top support (120) and the surface wipe body (110) to bend and take
the shape of fingers tips, while the surface wipe body (110)
functions as a cushion spreading the pressure applied by the
fingers throughout its mass. The flexibility of the surface wipe
body (110) also functions to take the shape of irregular and rough
surfaces allowing the collection and color forming assembly (140)
to uniformly swipe the target irregular and rough surfaces.
[0093] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the color
comparator (200) depicted in FIG. 1. The top comparator body (210)
is constructed from plastic preferably polypropylene or
polyethylene and it can also be constructed from cardboard. The top
comparator body (210) has a length between 3.5 and 5.0 inches,
preferably 4.0 inches, width between 3.5 and 5.0 inches, preferably
4.0 inches and thickness of 10.0 and 25.0 mils, preferably 15.0
mils. The top comparator body (210) has color scale window (215)
aligned on top of the gray scale of the first gray scale wheel
(220) and the color scale of the first color wheel (240). The top
comparator body (210) has also first numbers window (213) aligned
on top of the alphabets or the numbers (227) on the first gray
scale wheel (220) and the numbers (247) on the first color wheel
(240). A first magnifying lens (216) is attached on top of the
first numbers window (213) to magnify the alphabets (227) and
numbers (247) appear on the first numbers window (213) from the
first gray scale wheel (220) and the first color wheel (240) to
enhance the visual appearance of the alphabets and numbers. The top
comparator body (210) has a third opening, the rivet first top
opening (211), coaxial with the first gray scale wheel rivet
opening (221), the first color wheel rivet opening (241) and the
rivet first bottom opening (251). The first gray scale wheel (220)
is constructed from transparent plastic such as polyester or
polystyrene having a diameter between 3 inches and 5 inches,
preferably 3.6 inches and thickness between 5 mils and 15 mils,
preferably 10 mils. The first gray scale wheel (220) has an
arbitrary gray scale to enhance the color matching process and has
no effect in determining the quantity or concentration of the
collected target substance on the surface wipe (100). The gray
scale can be step increments of gray color as shown in FIG. 13B or
gradual smooth increments. The gray scale can be gray color or
brown color to match the color of soil or dirt. The first gray
scale wheel (220) has an opening in the middle, the first gray
scale wheel rivet opening (221), coaxial with and under the rivet
first opening (211) and on top of the first color wheel rivet
opening (241). The comparator's insert (230) function to separate
the top comparator body (210) from the bottom comparator body (250)
and allow free movement and turning of the first gray scale wheel
(211) and the first color wheel (240). The comparator's insert
(230) is constructed from plastic such as polypropylene and
polyethylene and it can also be constructed from cardboard. The
comparator's insert (230) has a length between 3.5 and 5.0 inches,
preferably 4.0 inches, width between 3.5 and 5.0 inches, preferably
4.0 inches and thickness of 15.0 and 40.0 mils, preferably 20.0
mils. The comparator's insert (230) is attached to the top
comparator body (210) and the bottom comparator body (250) with
adhesive, double-sided adhesive tape or riveted or screwed. The
first color scale wheel (240) is constructed from transparent or
opaque plastic such as polyester or polystyrene having a diameter
between 3 inches and 5 inches, preferably 3.6 inches and thickness
between 5 mils and 15 mils, preferably 10 mils. The first color
scale wheel (240) has a color scale that match the colors produced
on the surface wipe (100) upon swiping target surface contaminated
with different quantities or concentrations of target substance.
The color scale can be step increments of color as shown in FIG.
13A or gradual smooth increments as shown in FIG. 13B. The first
color scale wheel (240) has an opening in the middle, the first
color scale wheel rivet opening (241), coaxial with and under the
rivet first opening (211) and the first gray scale wheel rivet
opening (221).
[0094] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the
color comparator (200) depicted in FIG. 1 where two color wheels
are depicted coaxial on top of each other to increase the
concentrations span of the color comparator. For example, the
second color wheel (242) has color scale calibrated to measure
concentrations from 1 mg to 100 mg and the first color wheel (240)
has scale calibrated to measure concentrations from 100 mg to 1000
mg. Hence, in this embodiment, the color comparator is capable of
measuring concentrations from 1 mg to 1000 mg. In operation, user
place the swiped wipe (100) upside down on the color comparator, as
shown in FIG. 10 and then turns the first color wheel (240) until
ND (not detected) appears on the lower half of the first number
window (213), then turning the second color window (242) until
color match appears on the color scale window (215). If the color
on the surface wipe is darker than the darkest color on the second
color wheel (242), the second color wheel is turned until (ND)
appears on the top half of the first number window (213) and the
first color wheel (240) is turned until color match appears
[0095] The color wheel (240) has color scale designated to specific
concentrations of the target substance. The color wheel can be
transparent or opaque. The gray scale wheel (220) is transparent
wheel located on top of the color wheel (240) and has arbitrary
gray scale to enhance the color matching process and it has no
effect in determining the quantity or concentration of the harmful
substance collected on the wipe.
[0096] FIG. 9 is top view of one embodiment of the color comparator
(200) depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7.
[0097] FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the
surface wipe (100) and color comparator (200) in use to determine
the amount of substance collected on the surface wipe. In this
embodiment, the protective sleeve (280) is inserted into the left
side of the color comparator (200) and the swiped surface wipe is
placed on top of the protective sleeve (280) with the swiping
surface (142) facing up and next to the color scale window (215).
The protective sleeve (280) function to protect the color
comparator (200) from contamination of toxic substance that might
be collected on the surface wipe (100). The protective sleeve is
disposable, preferably constructed from transparent plastic such as
polyethylene or polypropylene, but it can be constructed from any
flexible none porous substance that satisfy its intended use.
[0098] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the
color comparator (200) where one set of color wheels (240) and
(245) and one set of gray scale wheels (220) and (225) are included
to increase the span measurement of the comparator or to determine
the concentrations of two different contaminants. The first color
wheel (240) is located under and coaxial with the first gray scale
wheel (220). The first color wheel (240) and the first gray scale
wheel (220) are separated by the first separator (260) for smooth
movement of the wheels. The third color wheel (245) is located
under and coaxial with the second gray scale wheel (225). The third
color wheel (245) and the second gray scale wheel (225) are
separated by the second separator (261) for smooth movement of the
wheels. The first rivet (270) is inserted into the rivet first
bottom opening (251) passing through the coaxial first color wheel
rivet opening (241) and the first gray scale wheel rivet opening
(221) and riveted to the comparator body (210) at the rivet first
top opening (211). Similarly, the second rivet (271) is inserted
into the rivet second bottom opening (252) passing through the
coaxial third color wheel rivet opening (246) and the second gray
scale wheel rivet opening (226) and riveted to the comparator body
(210) at the rivet second top opening (212). In this embodiment the
color comparator can be designed to determine the concentration of
one contaminant, the first color wheel (240) is calibrated to
measure concentrations between 1 mg and 1000 mg, and the third
color wheel (245) is calibrated to measure concentrations between
1,000 mg and 10,000 mg. In operation the swiped surface wipe (100)
is placed upside down with the wiping member (142) facing up next
to the color scale window (215). The third color wheel (245) is
rotated until the letter ND appeared in the second numbers window
(214) and the second gray scale wheel (225) is rotated until the
number zero (0) appears in the second numbers window (214). The
first color wheel (240) and the first gray scale wheel (220) are
rotated until a color match appear in the color scale window (215).
If the color on the wiping member (142) is darker than the darkest
color on the first color wheel 240), then the first color wheel
(240) is rotated until the letter ND appears in the first numbers
window (213) and the first gray scale wheel (220) is rotated until
the number zero (0) appears in the first numbers window (213). The
third color wheel (245) and the second gray scale wheel (225) are
then rotated until a color match appear in the color scale window
(215). In yet another alternative embodiment of the color
comparator, the two gray scale wheels are replaced with two color
wheels. The four-color wheels can be designed to measure one
contaminant for wide range of measuring the concentration of one
contaminant, or each pair of coaxial color wheels measuring
different contaminant, in this case the comparator capable of
measuring two different contaminants. Or each of the four-color
wheels are designed to measure different contaminant, in this case
the comparator is capable of measuring the concentration of four
different contaminants.
[0099] FIG. 12 is a top view of two-color wheels (240) and (245).
The two-color wheels can be designed to measure one contaminant for
expand range of measurement, or the two wheels can be designed to
measure two different contaminants.
[0100] FIG. 13A is top view of the first color wheel (240) where
the color scale is gradually and smoothly increases. The first and
second gray scale wheels (220) and (225) can also be designed with
gradual and smooth gray scales.
[0101] FIG. 13B is top view of the first gray scale wheel (220)
where the gray scale is gradual step increments. The first, second
and third color wheels (240), (242) and (245) can also be designed
with gradual step increments scales.
[0102] Several embodiments of the present invention have been
described herein. It should be understood by those of ordinary
skill in the art, however, that the above described embodiments,
are set forth merely by way of example and should not be
interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other
alternative embodiments, variations and modifications of the
foregoing embodiments that embrace various aspects of the present
invention will also be understood upon reading of the detailed
description in light of the prior art.
* * * * *